Copyrighting and starting a publishing company

**butchblack** · #1 05-09-2008, 05:02 PM

Hi All

How does one copyright a song, and should I also start a publishing company. What if any advantages would there be to being a publishing co.? I'm just a weekend warrior and occasional writer but would like to protect my interests.

mods, feel free to bump this if I'm in the wrong forum

ksandvik · #2 05-09-2008, 05:04 PM

You don't need to start a publishing company just to retain 100% of your publishing rights. All you need is to indicate with BMI/ASCAP et rest that the specific song's publishing rights should belong 100% to your as a private person, or as a group of people.

If you make a unique song, by that in itself, it has the copyrights assigned to you -- the issue in disputes is to clearly show that the song originated from you.

Do a google search on the topic and you will get plenty of information.

--Kent

lefty007 · #3 05-09-2008, 06:08 PM

Fill form SR:

http://www.copyright.gov/forms/

And you can join BMI for free.

http://www.bmi.com/join/?link=navbar

You don't really need a publishing company unless you are working with several authors (say, you write with several people, or make a CD with many composers). Publishing Co.'s main purpose is to consolidate the distribution of royalties from BMI to one place, instead of individually paying out royalties to each author. But if it's only yourself. . .